Touchy Feely (2013)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - September 13th, 2013 - Movie Reviews

Touchy Feely is as far removed from Your Sister’s Sister and Humpday as you can get, the whimsical, freewheeling nature of the narrative both absurdist yet surprisingly tetchy. But its eccentricities are remarkably concrete, while the ephemeral nature of the idea itself is grounded in a real world familial aesthetic that’s easy to relate to.

Touchy Feely is as far removed from Your Sister’s Sister and Humpday as you can get, the whimsical, freewheeling nature of the narrative both absurdist yet surprisingly tetchy. But its eccentricities are remarkably concrete, while the ephemeral nature of the idea itself is grounded in a real world familial aesthetic that’s easy to relate to.

The Frozen Ground (2013)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - September 6th, 2013 - Movie Reviews

The Frozen Ground holds the viewer’s attention extremely well, and while everything does indeed build to a rather forgone conclusion (it’s not exactly a secret what happens), getting there still manages to be a disturbingly satisfying trip.

The Frozen Ground holds the viewer’s attention extremely well, and while everything does indeed build to a rather forgone conclusion (it’s not exactly a secret what happens), getting there still manages to be a disturbingly satisfying trip.

Riddick (2013)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - September 6th, 2013 - Movie Reviews

Yet as much as he and Diesel love the character, as beholden to the fans as they feel to do him justice, Riddick is frustratingly half-baked. It never goes to the level that it needs to in order to fully succeed, following in the footsteps in the successful entry of the series oddly afraid to slice and dice a pathway entirely of its own design. The perceived failure of the last outing has made the pair, of all things, timid, a trait that sadly shows its colors far too much of the time, and if stories with this character are going to continue than that’s one facet that has to immediately change.

Yet as much as he and Diesel love the character, as beholden to the fans as they feel to do him justice, Riddick is frustratingly half-baked. It never goes to the level that it needs to in order to fully succeed, following in the footsteps in the successful entry of the series oddly afraid to slice and dice a pathway entirely of its own design. The perceived failure of the last outing has made the pair, of all things, timid, a trait that sadly shows its colors far too much of the time, and if stories with this character are going to continue than that’s one facet that has to immediately change.

Short Term 12 (2013)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - September 6th, 2013 - Film Festivals Four-Star Corner Movie Reviews

Cretton understands his story and his characters in ways that are inspiring, never once belittling them or taking them for granted. The final moments of Short Term 12 are as refreshingly invigorating as any I could have dreamt of, and as such the filmmaker’s latest effort is cause for complete and total celebration.

Cretton understands his story and his characters in ways that are inspiring, never once belittling them or taking them for granted. The final moments of Short Term 12 are as refreshingly invigorating as any I could have dreamt of, and as such the filmmaker’s latest effort is cause for complete and total celebration.

Austenland (2013)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - August 23rd, 2013 - Movie Reviews

Austenland is a sitcom masquerading as a feature, and while for some that will be just fine, I’m not one of those who typically finds such pieces of pop entertainment all that worthwhile. I simply don’t see the appeal, this love letter to Jane Austen an envelope better left unopened.

Austenland is a sitcom masquerading as a feature, and while for some that will be just fine, I’m not one of those who typically finds such pieces of pop entertainment all that worthwhile. I simply don’t see the appeal, this love letter to Jane Austen an envelope better left unopened.

Drinking Buddies (2013)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - August 23rd, 2013 - Film Festivals Movie Reviews

Drinking Buddies is as delightful as it is thought-provoking, as humorous as it is emotionally pure, and as such the film becomes one of August’s must-see enterprises audiences looking for something a bit outside of the box owe it to themselves to seek out and discover.

Drinking Buddies is as delightful as it is thought-provoking, as humorous as it is emotionally pure, and as such the film becomes one of August’s must-see enterprises audiences looking for something a bit outside of the box owe it to themselves to seek out and discover.

Drug War (2012)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - August 23rd, 2013 - Film Festivals Movie Reviews

But it is To’s talent for destruction that’s best on display in Drug War. Heroes fall, villains are mowed down in a hail of bullets and bystanders are fodder for gory catastrophe, all of it happening in the blink of an eye.

But it is To’s talent for destruction that’s best on display in Drug War. Heroes fall, villains are mowed down in a hail of bullets and bystanders are fodder for gory catastrophe, all of it happening in the blink of an eye.

The World’s End (2013)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - August 23rd, 2013 - Movie Reviews

With a script co-written once again by Pegg and Wright, [The World’s End] is a subversive trip down memory lane coupled with not-so-veiled commentary on consumerist culture and suburban homogenization. It is smarter than you initially think it is and more bracing in its darkly tragic satire than many might be willing to give it credit for, the resulting comedic jaunt an intelligently observational diatribe worthy of multiple looks.

With a script co-written once again by Pegg and Wright, [The World’s End] is a subversive trip down memory lane coupled with not-so-veiled commentary on consumerist culture and suburban homogenization. It is smarter than you initially think it is and more bracing in its darkly tragic satire than many might be willing to give it credit for, the resulting comedic jaunt an intelligently observational diatribe worthy of multiple looks.

You’re Next (2013)

by Sara Michelle Fetters - August 23rd, 2013 - Movie Reviews

You’re Next is not your typical home invasion horror-thriller. Filled with inventive twists and turns, showcasing a heroic transformation that would cause both Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver to rise to their feet in unabated cheers, the movie is a witty, gory and unexpectedly exciting hoot filled with scares and laughs aplenty.

You’re Next is not your typical home invasion horror-thriller. Filled with inventive twists and turns, showcasing a heroic transformation that would cause both Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver to rise to their feet in unabated cheers, the movie is a witty, gory and unexpectedly exciting hoot filled with scares and laughs aplenty.

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